A little over a year ago, Lisa was at her lowest. “I figured that nobody needed me anymore, nobody cared. So I decided to end my life. I was in a coma for three days.”
Then, the God of second chances intervened.
“While in my coma I literally heard God say, ‘It’s OK, I still love you.” And that is when everything started to change for Lisa. Since then, much of that change has taken place at Shepherd’s Door. “Shepherd’s Door has helped me live the right way. It’s given me peace. It’s given me grace and mercy. The first five weeks are the roughest, but once you get past those, God just starts opening doors and showing you the right path. It’s teaching me the rules of life, the good rules, not he bad rules. That I am worthy,” said Lisa.
Here, Lisa has experience the love that God has for her. “God is just amazing. He has restored my family. He’s given me grace where I did not deserve grace.”
He has been restoring her relationships.
“My son is awesome,” she said. “He sends emails telling me, “‘I think you’re an amazing mom.’”
The drastic change in Lisa’s life can be summarized in just two photographs.
“The one laying in the hospital bed was from a year ago when I was in my coma, my bottom” she said.
“The second one is with me and my son at Thanksgiving at my sister’s house. I didn’t think I would ever be there again” she said. “And for that I want to say thank you to Shepherd’s Door.”
–Erin Fowler, Inspiration Specialist
Still filled with the joy of the Lord as I share this glimmer moment that happened. I felt a tug on my heart strings regarding one of our women, Freda. … I felt the Holy Spirit direct me to ask about being Freda’s Growth Leader. ..
I told her about the Lord’s direction and how much I wanted to work with her as her Growth Leader when she was finished with Discovery.
She began to cry and said that no one has ever wanted her. She said that she had been thinking about leaving Shepherd’s Door. She said it was those childhood feelings creeping into her heart of not feeling wanted. She asked me if I knew what I was getting into taking her on. I told her that I was taking on a beautiful woman that Jesus loved.
I thought about how many times my fear has stopped me from being obedient. I feel so blessed to be here at Shepherd’s Door!
-Mary Mabbott, Growth Leader, CADCII
I passed her in the hall during the holidays. She seemed down and expressed a desire for the holidays to be over quickly. I passed her again a week later, Sarah Elizabeth, in the same hallway at Shepherd’s Door. Her heart was different. She told me what happened this morning after all house worship.
Sarah Elizabeth said she closed her eyes and saw Jesus’ eyes.
“I feel at peace. I feel in complete serenity knowing that I get to have complete happiness in Jesus’ presence. And to me, I never thought that I could begin to follow in the right direction of life. I always thought that I was meant for something different, something bad. No, Jesus wants me to follow in his light and his guidance.
“I’m in complete shock and awe that he chose me to follow in his light and in his eyes. He is my true savior. I’m just baffled and in joy. Tears of joy are wanting to fall from my eyes. I thank Shepherd’s door for this experience, because if it wasn’t for here, I wouldn’t get to have the amazing miracle of this year.”
–Erin Fowler, Inspiration Specialist